Widened heel

ABSTRACT

A shoe for a wearer may include a sole connected to the shoe for the wearer; and a heel connected to the sole. A portion of the heel may be offset extending from the sole by a predetermined amount.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to shoes and more particularly to a heelfor a shoe.

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, heels have been placed on the sole of a shoe in order toprovide a degree of height to the rear portion of the shoe and toprovide stability to the shoe. The heel has been sized to correspond tothe sole of the shoe.

SUMMARY

A shoe for a wearer may include a sole connected to the shoe for thewearer; and a heel connected to the sole.

A portion of the heel may be offset extending from the sole by apredetermined amount.

The heel may include a curved section being offset from the sole asubstantially uniform predetermined.

The heel may include a curved section along the sides of the peripheralsurface aligned substantially with the sole and the back of theperipheral surface being offset from the curved section of the sole apredetermined distance.

The heel may include a curved section having no offset from the curvedsection of the sole, and a side linear portion of the heel may be offseta predetermined distance.

The heel may include a side linear portion has an offset that increasesfrom the front to the rear of the heel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich, like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the shoe of the presentinvention; one

FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of the shoe of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom view of the heel of the shoe of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom view of the heel of the shoe of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a bottom view of the heel of the shoe of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a bottom view of the heel of the shoe of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a bottom view of the heel of the shoe of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of the shoe of the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a bottom view of the shoe of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a back view of the shoe of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A shoe 100 is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort thehuman foot while the wearer is doing various activities. Shoes 100 arealso used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes 100has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, withappearance originally being tied to function. Additionally, fashion hasoften dictated many design elements, such as whether shoes 100 have veryhigh heels or flat ones. Contemporary footwear varies widely in style,complexity and cost. Basic sandals may consist of only a thin sole andsimple strap and be sold for a low cost. High fashion shoes 100 made byfamous designers may be made of expensive materials, use complexconstruction and sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars a pair.Some shoes100 are designed for specific purposes, such as boots designedspecifically for mountaineering or skiing.

Traditionally, shoes 100 have been made from leather, wood or canvas,but they are increasingly made from rubber, plastics, and otherpetrochemical-derived materials. Though the human foot is adapted tovaried terrain and climate conditions, it is still vulnerable toenvironmental hazards such as sharp rocks and hot ground, which shoes100 protect against. Some shoes 100 are worn as safety equipment, suchas steel-soled boots which are required on construction sites.

The basic anatomy of a shoe 100 is recognizable, regardless of thespecific style of footwear.

All shoes100 have a sole 102, which is the bottom of a shoe, in contactwith the ground. Soles 102 can be made from a variety of materials,although most modern shoes 100 have soles 102 made from natural rubber,polyurethane, or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compounds. Soles 102 can besimple; a single material in a single layer; or they can be complex,with multiple structures or layers and materials. When various layersare used, soles 102 may consist of an insole, midsole, and an outsole.

The insole 104 is the interior bottom of a shoe 100, which sits directlybeneath the foot under the footbed (also known as sock liner). Thepurpose of insole 104 is to attach to the lasting margin of the upper,which is wrapped around the last during the closing of the shoe duringthe lasting operation. Insoles 104 are usually made of cellulosic paperboard or synthetic non woven insole board. Many shoes 100 have removableand replaceable footbeds. Extra cushioning is often added for comfort(to control the shape, moisture, or smell of the shoe) or health reasons(to help deal with differences in the natural shape of the foot orpositioning of the foot during standing or walking).

The outsole 106 is the layer in direct contact with the ground. Dressshoes often have leather or resin rubber outsoles; casual orwork-oriented shoes have outsoles made of natural rubber or a syntheticmaterial like polyurethane. The outsole may include a single piece, ormay be an assembly of separate pieces, often of different materials. Onsome shoes, the heel of the sole has a rubber plate for durability andtraction, while the front is leather for style. Specialized shoes willoften have modifications on this design: athletic or so called cleatedshoes like soccer, rugby, baseball and golf shoes have spikes embeddedin the outsole to improve traction.

The midsole is the layer in between the outsole 106 and the insole 104,typically there for shock absorption. Some types of shoes, like runningshoes, have additional material for shock absorption, usually beneaththe heel of the foot, where one puts the most pressure down. Some shoesmay not have a midsole at all.

The heel 108 is the bottom rear part of a shoe. Its function is tosupport the heel of the foot. They are often made of the same materialas the sole 102 of the shoe 100. This part can be high for fashion or tomake the person look taller, or flat for a more practical andcomfortable use. On some shoes the inner forward point of the heel ischiselled off, a feature known as a “gentleman's corner”. This piece ofdesign is intended to alleviate the problem of the points catching thebottom of trousers and was first observed in the 1930s. A heel is theprojection at the back of a shoe which rests below the heel bone. Theshoe heel 108 is used to improve the balance of the shoe, increase theheight of the wearer, alter posture or other decorative purposes.Sometimes raised, the high heel is common to a form of shoe often wornby women, but sometimes by men too. The upper 104 helps hold the shoeonto the foot. In the simplest cases, such as sandals or flip-flops,this may be nothing more than a few straps for holding the sole inplace. Closed footwear, such as boots, trainers and most men's shoes,will have a more complex upper 104. This part is often decorated or ismade in a certain style to look attractive. The upper 104 is connectedto the sole 102 by a strip of leather, rubber, or plastic that isstitched between it and the sole, known as a welt.

Most uppers 104 have a mechanism, such as laces, straps with buckles,zippers, elastic, velcro straps, buttons, or snaps, for tightening theupper on the foot. Uppers 104 with laces usually have a tongue 110 thathelps seal the laced opening and protect the foot from abrasion by thelaces. Uppers with laces also have eyelets 112 or hooks to make iteasier to tighten and loosen the laces and to prevent the lace fromtearing through the upper material. An aglet is the protective wrappingon the end of the lace.

The vamp 104 is the front part of the shoe, starting behind the toe,extending around the eyelets 112 and tongue and towards back part of theshoe.

The medial is the part of the shoe closest to a person's center ofsymmetry, and the lateral is on the opposite side, away from theircenter of symmetry. This can be in reference to either the outsole orthe vamp. Most shoes have shoelaces on the upper, connecting the medialand lateral parts after one puts their shoes on and aiding in keepingtheir shoes on their feet. In 1968, Puma SE introduced the first pair ofsneakers with Velcro straps in lieu of shoelaces, and these becamepopular by the 1980s, especially among children and the elderly.

The toe box is the part that covers and protects the toes. People withtoe deformities, or individuals who experience toe swelling (such aslong distance runners) usually require a larger toe box.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a heel 200 of the presentinvention which may be positioned on a sole 202. The heel 200 of thepresent invention may include a top surface 210 which may be opposed toa bottom surface 212, and the heel 200 may include a peripheral surface214 which may extend around the periphery of the heel 200. Theperipheral surface 204 may include a linear section 214 and a curvedsection 216 which may be substantially U-shaped and may extend from oneend of the linear section 214 to the other end of the linear section214. The top surface 210 is used to contact the support surface, and thebottom surface 212 is connected to the sole 102 of the shoe 100.

FIG. 3 illustrates that the curved section 216 corresponds substantiallyto the curved section of the sole 202.

FIG. 4 illustrates that the curved section 216 is offset from the solesection a substantially uniform predetermined distance for examplebetween ½ inch and 1 inch.

FIG. 5 illustrates that the curved section 216 along the sides of theperipheral surface 214 aligned substantially with the sole 202 and theback of the peripheral surface 214 is offset from the curved section ofthe sole 202 a predetermined distance which may be ½ inch to 1 inch.

FIG. 6 illustrates a another embodiment of the heel 200 of the presentinvention where the curved section 216 has little or no offset from thecurved section of the sole 202. The side linear portion of the heel 200is offset a predetermined distance for example ½ inch to 1 inch from thesole 202.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of the heel 200 of the presentinvention where the side linear portion has an offset that increasesfrom the front to the rear of the heel 200.

FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of the shoe of the present invention, andthe sole of the shoe extends medially, laterally and posterity forexample ½ to 1 inch.

FIG. 9 illustrates a bottom view of the shoe illustrated in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 illustrates a back view of the shoe illustrated in FIG. 8.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by wayof example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It shouldbe understood, however, that the description herein of specificembodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particularforms disclosed.

1) A shoe for a wearer, comprising: a sole connected to the shoe for thewearer; a heel connected to the sole; wherein a portion of the heel isoffset extending from the sole by a predetermined amount. 2) A shoe fora wearer as in claim 1, wherein the heel includes a curved section beingoffset from the sole a substantially uniform predetermined. 3) A shoefor a wearer as in claim 1, wherein the heel includes a curved sectionalong the sides of the peripheral surface aligned substantially with thesole and the back of the peripheral surface is offset from the curvedsection of the sole a predetermined distance. 4) A shoe for a wearer asin claim 1, wherein the heel includes a curved section having no offsetfrom the curved section of the sole, and wherein a side linear portionof the heel is offset a predetermined distance. 5) A shoe for a weareras in claim 1, wherein the heel having a side linear portion has anoffset that increases from the front to the rear of the heel.